December 30, 2010

Selfish Sanitation Department bosses from the snow-slammed outer boroughs ordered their drivers to snarl the blizzard cleanup to protest budget cuts -- a disastrous move that turned streets into a minefield for emergency-services vehicles, The Post has learned....

New York's Strongest used a variety of tactics to drag out the plowing process -- and pad overtime checks -- which included keeping plows slightly higher than the roadways and skipping over streets along their routes, the sources said.

The snow-removal snitches said they were told to keep their plows off most streets and to wait for orders before attacking the accumulating piles of snow.

Gee whiz, I thought it was those mean, nasty conservatives who were the "hostage takers".Of course it's really the scumbag public employee unions who are terrorizing and paralyzing a city of millions. At least one newborn perished as a result of their negligence, and I personally hope that someone is eventually charged with that crime.Of course that will happen right after the union is disbanded and all the "slowed down" workers have been terminated. Which is to say, never.

I doubt they're very nervous at all. In fact, I'd wager that they're pleased as punch. They created a crisis so that they could take advantage of it, right out of the old Lib playbook.A few sacrificial lambs will get thrown on the pyre, but the union itself will get whatever it wants. Because ultimately their work isn't what's important, only their votes and donations are. And those aren't what got "slowed down".

Apparently pay cuts and demotions were at the heart of it, according to the whistleblowers (which included two supervisors). This is going to get ugly and we should all remember this as one of the opening shots of true ugliness if, due to runaway federal spending, the US is forced to take draconian austerity measures. Then we'll see riots and street combat that would turn Hoffa gay.

These folks are probably the majority, but they can be faulted for not standing up to their union.

Unlike, say, an average grandma in Germany circa 1939, the fine upstanding union members you cite are part and parcel with the organization. The organization doesn't exist without them, their labor, and their dues.

Legal blackmail is of no use unless it proves that it's threats to do terrible harm are real.In that same way the Obama-Soros cabal are proving their blackmail powers are real over at the EPA, FCC, DEA, and TSA Regulatory Agancies as we speak.

And even those much-loved firefighters aren't immune. Here's a Wisconsin article about firemen getting paid to attend union events that they didn't go to as a way of reimbursing their political contributions to politicians who then approve their pay and benefit increases. The government employee union-industrial complex at work.

Wait until the public finds out that the Sanitation Department actually did make it out to clear Avenue F because that's where their boss lives but failed to clear Avenues D, E and G. How will their neighbors react?

As a Christian, I recognize that man is a fallen, selfish being. If he were angelic, we would need no police, no laws, no government. But you and I know, though you are an atheist and I a Christ-follower, that mankind is reliably, unshakably self-interested. He cares more about himself, and perhaps his family and friends, than he does complete strangers.

How then will you compel him to set aside resources for the sick, or study medicine, or invent new technology to cure their diseases? Exhortations on billboards? Compulsory medical school? Technology labs run by the same people who give us the Post Office, and TSA?

The reality is this: there is no system of economic organization that produces more valuable discoveries, and greater advances in health and prosperity, than a free market. Embracing the historically failed economic policies that you prefer will only hurt people in the long run, by diminishing their prosperity, their dignity, and ultimately their health. And that is decidedly unChristian.

Do sanitation workers clear the streets where you live? In my area, streets and roads are cleared by street maintenance workers, and garbage is collected by "sanitation workers." Is anyone else struck by the oddness of this?

We're going to see this play out in a lot of similar, less dramatic ways, not necessarily orchestrated by union bosses. The rule is that you get what you pay for. As state and municipal governments try to squeeze their employees in response to budget deficits, the employees aren't going to work as hard.

As for the NYC situation, there is a neat conspiracy theory that would go something along the lines of this being a setup by pro-Bloomberg people so that he can step in and act tough, fire a bunch of people and enhance his national profile and presidential aspirations.

But hey, lets assume for the sake of argument that the story is bogus and no orders to snarl cleanup were ever given. Now WTF is the excuse for the failed cleanup? Hmmmmm? Bueller? Anyone? A city with a $64 billion budget and they can't keep the friggin streets cleared? I guess when the government wants to do EVERYTHING for us they manage to fail on epic levels.

LOL. Yes ScottM, IF some union workers were ordered to not clean the streets, that could have led to a baby being born in a lobby somewhere, they would probably want to remain anonymous. So instead of going to the NY Post with their story, maybe they should have .......just cleaned the streets?

Why bother with garage? He honestly believes in that mythical creature of the imagination, the well-functioning government.

But please, tell us about the evil of "snitches". It has such a very mafia flavor to it, that word, "snitches". Almost as taunt as "rats". Such a very good word for the purposes of criminal conspiracists. The real ones, not the imaginary sort which plot to assassinate left-wing politicians and blame it on eccentric Communists.

Garage Mahal wrote:Mmm I don't know, I'm thinking maybe a blizzard with a few feet of snow piled on top of 10 million people would tend to slow things down. Only a well functioning GOVERNMENT can save us!

All true, except where was this talk when Bush was dealing with Katrina? All of a sudden you are suggesting that natural disasters were hard to deal with, yet when Bush handled Katrina the fact that the entire city of New Orleans wasn't evacuated by day one was an example of Bush incompetence and an example of how he dawdled because he didn't care for black people. Yet now, you suddenly want to get into the intricacies and hardships of emergency management.

Mitch H wrote:He honestly believes in that mythical creature of the imagination, the well-functioning government.

In the case of disaster like this that(govt) is the only option you really have, so I'd hope you want it to be well functioning. If your idea is to have a govt so limited that it can't deal with removing snow from roads then you're going to have areas that aren't cleared of snow till it thaw in the spring.So in this case I'm for effective govt. But what does effective govt mean? not taht all roads will be cleared of snow in 24 hours. that is simply not realistic. To fault govt for not surmounting insurmountable problems in a time frame that you set, based on no realistic criterion based on actual fact means that you are not really credible about dealing with issues. You just want to hold govt accountable. And it was wrong when the libs did it to Bush and it's similarly wrong now when the conservatives do it to Bloomberg. people suggest that if their side were in power you'd have adequate govt to deal with these issues and that any problems are simply incompetence.More likely, there are problems becuase the issue is not easily fixed. And plowing a street takes a long time, and there are limited resources to work with (even if the amount of resources is larger than used in the past). You are not going to clear out NYC and all of it's burroughs in a day. To expect otherwise means you are a moron.And it's not made better when the people who are supposed to be doing a job (clearing the snow) are in fact not doing so out of some need to punish Bloomberg for abudget protest.

Hoosier Daddy wrote:Let the rest of us know when you find one mkay? I mean don't you think a city with a $64 billion budget should be able to at least perform its most basic service?

Are you suggesting that no streets were plowed? If streets were plowed then govt is performing its most basic service. If not every street was plowed in your alloted time frame, maybe you're not being particularly realistic about expectations. Why wasn't the Iraq war won in a day? Why didn't Bush evacuatte everyone from NO in two days? Maybe because its not realistic to expect them to do so. Maybe the govt should have used one plow for every street, and hired people to shovel out everyone's driveway while they were at it. Why not also set up personal cabs for eeryone in an outer burrough that were hovercrafts so they could simply float over the snow, and that way noone would miss work? Maybe Bush should have bought all NO residents a car a week before hurricane Katrina? That doesn't mean that govt still can't be incompetent, but for someone who thinks that govt is incompetent you seem to expect them to do an awful lot. If the reason you think they are incompetent is because they can't move heaven and earth in the limited time frame you've alloted, maybe govt is not the problem.

re Bush, who said? You mean by not blaming him all the time? Funny your guy keeps coming up with ways to extend/expand Bush's programs.

Answer the question, Garage. If it was YOU, would YOU want to remain anonymous or would you cower and not report the union holding the city hostage (to use the President's words) in order to affect a protest?

Selfish Sanitation Department bosses from the snow-slammed outer boroughs ordered their drivers to snarl the blizzard cleanup to protest budget cuts -- ===========================Wait a minute. You are talking about part of the Heroes of 9/11. While people run from burning buildings and Hero Cops and Firefighters rush in, remember people run from smoking debris that New York's Strongest (the 3rd Hero Union) clean up.The Hero Cops and Firefighter Heros got a 8 billion pork bill passed for renumerating their Herohood, reduced to a mere 4 billion by heartless Republican people that do not properly worship the NYPD and NYFD.

But the Hero NYGC (New York Garbage Collection) union did not have the NY Media, Bloomie, and various Congresscritters out to bring home the bacon - raise a protest or lift a finger for the Other Heroes in Uniform. Who were at Ground Zero for All Of Us, Helping Bring Closure...by moving the toxic debris out.

All they got is budget cuts! No mention of why they also deserved not just no cuts but 4 billion in gravy spread around.

No wonder the "NY's Strongest" trash collectors are pissed!

Fortunately, like the private contractors who were also in the Pit with the Hero Cops and Hero Firefighters - the garbagemen, ironworkers, engineers appear to have better health than NY's Finest and NY's Bravest.

And their fault for not using 9/11 from Day 1 to get the moolah and perks Head Pimp Rudy got for his beloved cops and firefighters...

I mean, Americans are gullible enough and readily susceptable to moral blackmail - had the trash collection union people and heavy equipment operator people and engineers at Ground Zero cultivated the same Hero-Victim narrative - they could have demanded and got billions in gravy.

Poor souls! Now protests in a broke city that only cares for teachers, Manhattan Elites, cops, Wall Street bankers and firefighters - are their only vehicle for demanding their own gravy from NYC and America's taxpayers.

Too late people! Had you had Rudy pimping you too, early, the nation would have paid for the privilege of kissing your heroic asses!

So I guess we can believe Bloomberg's protestations that he is NOT interested in a presidential campaign. Can Cuomo forget his ambitions if he doesn't do a thorough investigation and provide consequences?

I live in Queens and this storm was not as bad as the blizzard of January 1996. The drifts were just as high if not worse. Then, I opened my door to find snow up to my shoulders. It also started on a Sunday mid day and ended Monday. That was as much snow, but it was much heavier snow (because the temp was higher). This snow is light and fluffy.

Guiliani had the side streets plowed on Monday that 1996 storm and by Tuesday morning 5am it was clear enough to drive and my bus had chains on the tires! No chains this time around and my bus and others were stuck everywhere. Bloomberg didn't make a first plow until Tuesday late morning. As of today, Nostrand avenue wasn't plowed. He makes Manhattan a priority for business, but forgets the workers who live in the outer boroughs need to be able to get there to work!

Guiliani never forgot the outer boroughs. Every borough was equal and were his keys to reelection. If there is one complaint over and over it's, "Bloomberg doesn't give a shit about MY neighborhood."

Bloomberg was such an arrogant prick on Monday. He finally is acknowledging mistakes today. Jerk.

Now I can walk to the store, etc, but if I or any of my neighbors had an emergency we would have been screwed.

I think Bush is responsible for Katrina and all of global warming. Thankfully Obama was elected and he is so cool he not only stopped global warming, he reversed it. Hmm perhaps Obama is just a little too cool. /sarc

wv jaybe: jaybe, just jaybe, some of those responsible will be terminated.